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From the pleasant opera-loving terrorists in "Bel Canto" to the endlessly fertile Amazon women in her new novel, "State of Wonder," Ann Patchett creates magical stories. No wizards or vampires, no triumph over dysfunctional past, but rather an alternative universe where unlikely characters come together in a transformative way and make new, and surprising, lives for themselves. The snakes andmalaria of the jungle seemed far away as we chatted in the Omni Chicago Hotel on Patchett's recent visit. The novel features a Minnesota research scientist dispatched to the Amazon to track down two colleagues: an office mate who has been reported dead, and her former professor,...

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From the pleasant opera-loving terrorists in "Bel Canto" to the endlessly fertile Amazon women in her new novel, "State of Wonder," Ann Patchett creates magical stories. No wizards or vampires, no triumph over dysfunctional past, but...

Nigerian-born author Chinua Achebe has died. The 82-year-old was best known for his gorgeously written historical novel that served as an indictment of colonialism, "Things Fall Apart." Published in 1958, "Things Fall Apart" soon...